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Chaplaincy provides ecclesiastical endorsement for chaplains through assessment, training, and supervision of chaplains’ ministries. Fully endorsed chaplains are ordained as ministers of the Word or as commissioned pastors. Chaplaincy also provides provisional endorsements or candidate recommendations to assist future chaplains in meeting vocational or educational requirements.
In the process leading to ordination as minister of the Word or commissioned pastor, the church seeks assurance that the prospective pastor is fit for ministry. The church supervises one’s doctrine, life, and preparation for ministry. A local church acknowledges one’s individual gifts and desire for ministry with a call letter, which is generally confirmed by a thorough examination at a regional meeting (classis) of CRCNA church delegates. Requirements for ordination are established by the CRCNA Candidacy Committee.
In the process leading to endorsement for chaplaincy, the church seeks assurance that the prospective chaplain is fit for specialized ministry. The church ensures that the chaplain’s ministry will be consistent with their call to serve as minister of the Word or commissioned pastor, also seeking evidence of the chaplain's suitability to provide pastoral ministry, care, and counsel in a specialized setting.
Requirements for Civilian Chaplains
Requirements for Military Chaplains
Requirements for Military Chaplain Candidates (In Seminary)
When Thrive/Chaplaincy has received all of the above items, you will be contacted by Rev. Tim Rietkerk for a video conference meeting to review the application and to coordinate for the provisional endorsement interview. If you are declared eligible for endorsement, you will receive a letter with the conditions of your provisional endorsement and the requirements for full endorsement.
Chaplain applicants for full endorsement should contact a prospective calling church council and provide them with:
If the council agrees to serve as the calling church, the church council should do the following actions:
After receiving the above items/information, Thrive/Chaplaincy Ministry will grant full endorsement once the letter of call has been noted/approved in the classis minutes. Thrive/Chaplaincy Ministry will send a letter of full endorsement to the chaplain, calling church, and classis. The chaplain's endorsement and Covenant of Joint Supervision are subject to review and renewal every five years.
Joint ecclesiastical supervision should be intentional and meaningful for the calling church, the chaplain, and Thrive/Chaplaincy Ministry. Cooperation and mutual accountability between the calling church and Thrive/Chaplaincy Ministry will ensure that chaplains are supported as persons ordained by the church, and are a genuine extension of the church's ministry.
Although chaplains usually serve away from the church, they never provide ministry apart from the church. Chaplains are endorsed to extend the church's ministry, not their own. Therefore, if the chaplain's church, school, professional association, or employer notifies Thrive/Chaplaincy of proven ethical, moral or legal violations, ecclesiastical endorsement will be reviewed with the possibility of suspension or withdrawal of endorsement.
Endorsed chaplains are involved in the following levels of accountability and supervision:
Continuation of ecclesiastical endorsement is dependent upon:
Endorsement Renewal
Board Certification
Training support funds are available to prospective and current chaplains for specialized ministry training because of the generosity of those who have contributed to our development fund since its conception in 2002. Priority is given to those who are enrolled in accredited CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) or Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE), or equivalences that address the specific skills necessary for the work of chaplaincy.
If financial assistance is provided, the recipient agrees to serve for a minimum of three years as an endorsed chaplain in an approved ministry setting.
Application for Training Support